restless reformer

Official Andrew Peterson Website
Order “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Author Bio HERE

There are a lot of great things to say about Andrew Peterson’s book, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. I’ll stick to three things in particular: storytelling patience, storytelling skill, and storytelling philosophy.

Storytelling Patience - One of the most impressive things about Peterson’s debut effort is that he has patience in his storytelling. He lets dramatic tension build appropriately, doesn’t give things away too easy, and keeps you wondering what’s coming. Even where upcoming plot points can be deduced in advance, Peterson unfolds them with skill and delight. The story moves along at a nice pace, with new and intriguing aspects of the world of Aerwiar being unveiled; it picks up its pace at the appropriate place, and by the time the story is rolling toward its climax, we are thoroughly immersed in this secondary world Peterson has created. Not only that, but he pulled off a really important balance: he told a full enough story to stand alone, but left enough unanswered to leave you longing for the next installment of the Wingfeather Saga.

Storytelling Skill - Peterson creates an entirely believable, quirky secondary world with lots of humor, but not so much that the story isn’t taken seriously. There are great names, both for humans (Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, Nugget the dog, Peet the Sock Man, Podo, Oskar N. Reteep), for bad guys (Khrak, Gnorm, Slarb, Vop, Gnag the Nameless), and for creatures (Fangs of Dang, toothy cows, horned hounds, thwaps). The characters are compelling, and I found myself particularly drawn to Podo and Peet the Sock Man.

Storytelling Philosophy - Peterson clearly believes that our own subcreations echo the Maker’s primary creation. Apart from references to prayers, there is no explicit religious content to the story; yet the story makes the heart yearn for the remembrance of the true victory of Christ over evil, which is exactly what a fairy tale can do. Peterson’s story fits all the requirements of the fairy tale laid out by great thinkers like George MacDonald, G.K. Chesteron, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L’Engle. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness clearly stands in their noble tradition.

I highly recommend Andrew Peterson’s On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Purchase your copy today! (And stay tuned to The Hog’s Head for an upcoming opportunity to win a free copy!)

Thanks to Random House for the early copy of the book.